10 Best One Season Wonder TV Shows
9. Garth Marenghi's Darkplace
In the 1980s, Garth Marenghi - author, dream-weaver, visionary, plus actor - created and starred in a hospital drama that was so forward thinking and frightening that Channel Four shelved it immediately. Two decades hence, bereft of anything else to air, the UK network finally broadcast Marenghi’s masterwork in all its glory.
That’s the concept of Darkplace, one of Britain’s funniest sitcoms in modern times and a superb showcase for some of the nation’s best comic actors, most notably Matt Berry as actor Todd Rivers. Each episode comprises an installment of Darkplace, complete with reminiscences from the actors with the benefit of hindsight.
Creating something deliberately bad is no mean feat, and Darkplace does this beautifully, the show-within-a-show mimicking rubbish ‘80s TV, bad acting, production flaws and all, while still being entirely watchable and just about believable.
The high concept coupled with a late night slot and minimal advertising mean this was a cult affair from the start, and poor viewing figures saw it get the snip after one season. Perhaps in this instance it was for the best - it’s not a concept with an enormous shelf life, and the six episodes we have are golden.